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Citizens committee calls on Gretna school board to build

Gretna Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Kevin Riley supports the request to build another middle and elementary school, but it comes at a cost upwards of $56 million that taxpayers would have to approve.

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Updated: 6:20 PM CST Feb 12, 2015

Citizens committee calls on Gretna school board to build

Gretna Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Kevin Riley supports the request to build another middle and elementary school, but it comes at a cost upwards of $56 million that taxpayers would have to approve.

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Updated: 6:20 PM CST Feb 12, 2015

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WEBVTT NOW.. TO GRETNA'S GROWING PAINS. WITH MOST OF ITS SCHOOLS áOVER CAPACITY ..A CITIZEN'S COMMITTEE IS NOW CALLING ON THE SCHOOL BOARD TO áBUILD. KETV NEWSWATCH SEVEN'S MELISSA FRY SAT DOWN WITH GRETNA'S SUPERINTENDENT TODAY. DR. KEVIN RILEY SUPPORTS THIS REQUEST TO BUILD ANOTHER MIDDLE AND ELEMENTARY SCHOOL... BUT IT COMES A COST... UPWARDS OF 56 MILLION DOLLARS...THAT TAXPAYERS WOULD HAVE TO APPROVE. IN EIGTH GRADE SCIENCE CLASS...THEY FIGURE OUT FORMULAS... SCHOOL LEADERS DO, TOO. THE NUMBERS... THEY SAY...ARE NOTHING NEW.( OV DR. KEVIN RILEY: growth has a numbing effect on the community especially when it happens year after year. You expect it, you accept it...) SUPERINTENDENT DR. KEVIN RILEY HAS BEEN WITH THE GRETNA PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT FOR 33 YEARS.( DR. KEVIN RILEY: We've grown more in the last five years than we had total students when i came here. )( DR. KEVIN RILEY: just in the enough students for a new elementary school ) AND THAT MIGHT JUST HAPPEN. A CITIZENS COMMITTEE - MADE UP OF PARENTS AND RESIDENTS - IS REQUESTING THE DISTRICT SCHOOL AND áFIFTH ELEMENTARY SCHOOL...( DR. KEVIN RILEY: the problem is, if you don't stay on top of it with building, classroom space - where you cant catch up.) THE COMMITTEE DOESN'T SEE THE STUDENT ENROLLMENT SLOWING DOWN ANYTIME SOON. DR. RILEY AGREES AND SAYS THE PROPOSAL IS NOT PREMATURE.( DR. KEVIN RILEY: i don't want to go to the community and ask them to build buildings on projected growth we go when we know the numbers are there and we have choices to make.) THE BOND - COULD BE UPWARDS OF RILEY SAYS WITH MORE HOUSEHOLDS CONTRIBUTING...THE COST WOULDN'T HAVE A HUGE IMPACT ON TAXPAYERS. A 56-MILLION DOLLAR BOND WOULD COST THE OWNER OF A 150 THOUSAND DOLLAR HOUSE ...AND EXTRA 115 DOLLARS A YEAR, IN TAXES. GRETNA SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS ARE GOING TO DISCUSS THE BOND NEXT MONTH... IF THEY SUPPORT IT... THEN IT GOES ON THE MAY BALLOT FOR VOTERS TO DECIDE. BACK TO YOU.

Citizens committee calls on Gretna school board to build

Gretna Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Kevin Riley supports the request to build another middle and elementary school, but it comes at a cost upwards of $56 million that taxpayers would have to approve.